COAP, Inc. joined the SmartMH℠ KY program, a partnership of the manufactured housing industry, lenders, retailers, utilities, nonprofits and public stakeholders committed to increasing access to ENERGY STAR homes with better loans across the Commonwealth.
As a SmartMH KY Partner, COAP joins a new initiative in Kentucky to stimulate the marketplace for energy-efficient manufactured homes that come with flexible financing to save homeowners money.
COAP in partnership with the SmartMH KY Alliance is expanding the impact of a new ENERGY STAR upgrade program administered by the Systems Building Research Alliance. Supported by incentives from participating utilities and Kentucky Housing Corporation, participating factories will offer the ENERGY STAR upgrade for a small cost or no additional cost to homebuyers in Kentucky.
While manufacturers receive the incentives, the real people that benefit are homebuyers. Homebuyers that finance their ENERGY STAR manufactured homes with SmartMH loans gain the added value of a quality financing product. ENERGY STAR homes lower utility bills, providing thousands of dollars in savings over the life of a home. They are also more comfortable, quieter, require less maintenance and have a higher resale value.
Manufactured homes are an important source of affordable housing for Kentuckians, accounting for 14% of the state’s overall residential stock. About 2,000 manufactured homes are sold in Kentucky each year with less than 1% certified as ENERGY STAR. Homes not certified as ENERGY STAR are more expensive to own and operate, and as a result place strain on families that could benefit from energy cost savings and lowered monthly housing expenses.
Louisville-based nonprofit, Next Step Network, is sponsoring the SmartMH KY Alliance. Next Step is identifying loan products through lenders that meet the SmartMH mission for customers buying ENERGY STAR manufactured homes in Kentucky from participating factories. SmartMH loans provide benefits like good rates, better terms and assistance with down payment or utility costs. SmartMH loans are currently available through CU Factory Built Lending, Forcht Bank, Kentucky Housing Corporation and Key Mortgage Company.
As a result of SmartMH loan products and the ENERGY STAR upgrade program, it is projected that ENERGY STAR manufactured home shipments in Kentucky will increase from less than 1 percent to 50 percent in two years. This has the potential to deeply impact the approach to energy efficiency within Kentucky’s marketplace, and the resulting benefits will extend to homebuyers and the communities in which they live.
For more information on how homebuyers can participate, visit www.SmartMH.org.
Energy efficiency for manufactured housing
Special to the Enterprise